Phase-change optical recording: Past, present, future

We discuss specific features of Te-based compounds that made them the best materials for the phase-change data storage. It is demonstrated that the phase-change recording is due to a switch of Ge atoms between octahedral and tetrahedral symmetry positions within the Te face-centered cubic lattice. It is this nature of the transition that makes the Te-based media fast and stable. The driving force for this transition is also discussed. The chapter is concluded by introduction of a concept of the super-resolution near-field structure (super-RENS) disc that allows to reduce a bit size well below the diffraction limit and makes 100 GB/disc storage a reality.     

Peritoneal healing after fibrin glue application: a comparative study in a rat model

The influence of fibrin glue on adhesion formation and peritoneal healing is evaluated in a prospective, randomized, controlled study. In all, 20 Wistar rats underwent microsurgical suturing of two silicone sheets, one covered with a fibrin glue barrier, to the anterior peritoneum. Each animal thus served as its own control. After 10 days, adhesions and peritoneal healing were evaluated by a blinded observer through a second-look laparotomy. Adhesions were scored using a modification of the classification of Diamond. Tissue around the silicone sheet was examined histologically and by scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the inflammatory reaction and peritoneal healing (ingrowth of blood vessels and quality of peritoneal cells). Adhesion scores for treated and control sides were (mean +/- SD) 2.89 +/- 4.68 and 6.79 +/- 9.09 (P = 0.181) respectively, and the percentage of the sheet covered by peritoneum was 26.25 +/- 31.50 and 29.21 +/- 40.21 (P = 0.226) respectively. Using the paired Wilcoxon rank test, the P values for the ingrowth of blood vessels and peritoneal healing evaluated by histology and scanning electron microscopy were 0.842, 0.692 and 0.695 respectively. We conclude that although the mean adhesion score was reduced by > 50% by fibrin glue, there is no statistically significant difference concerning adhesion formation or peritoneal healing with the use of fibrin glue.     

Therapeutic Potential for Regulation of the Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Transcription Factor p65 to Prevent Cellular Senescence and Activation of Pro-Inflammatory in Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells have an important potential in the treatment of age-related diseases. In the last years, small extracellular vesicles derived from these stem cells have been proposed as cell-free therapies. Cellular senescence and proinflammatory activation are involved in the loss of therapeutic capacity and in the phenomenon called inflamm-aging. The regulators of these two biological processes in mesenchymal stem cells are not well-known. In this study, we found that p65 is activated during cellular senescence and inflammatory activation in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell. To demonstrate the central role of p65 in these two processes, we used small-molecular inhibitors of p65, such as JSH-23, MG-132 and curcumin. We found that the inhibition of p65 prevents the cellular senescence phenotype in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Besides, p65 inhibition produced the inactivation of proinflammatory molecules as components of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) (interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 (IL-6 and IL-8)). Additionally, we found that the inhibition of p65 prevents the transmission of paracrine senescence between mesenchymal stem cells and the proinflammatory message through small extracellular vesicles. Our work highlights the important role of p65 and its inhibition to restore the loss of functionality of small extracellular vesicles from senescent mesenchymal stem cells and their inflamm-aging signature.     

Molecular Genetics of Conjunctival Melanoma and Prognostic Value of TERT Promoter Mutation Analysis

The aim of this study was exploration of the genetic background of conjunctival melanoma (CM) and correlation with recurrent and metastatic disease. Twenty-eight CM from the Rotterdam Ocular Melanoma Study group were collected and DNA was isolated from the formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue. Targeted next-generation sequencing was performed using a panel covering GNAQ, GNA11, EIF1AX, BAP1, BRAF, NRAS, c-KIT, PTEN, SF3B1, and TERT genes. Recurrences and metastasis were present in eight (29%) and nine (32%) CM cases, respectively. TERT promoter mutations were most common (54%), but BRAF (46%), NRAS (21%), BAP1 (18%), PTEN (14%), c-KIT (7%), and SF3B1 (4%) mutations were also observed. No mutations in GNAQ, GNA11, and EIF1AX were found. None of the mutations was significantly associated with recurrent disease. Presence of a TERT promoter mutation was associated with metastatic disease (p-value = 0.008). Based on our molecular findings, CM comprises a separate entity within melanoma, although there are overlapping molecular features with uveal melanoma, such as the presence of BAP1 and SF3B1 mutations. This warrants careful interpretation of molecular data, in the light of clinical findings. About three quarter of CM contain drug-targetable mutations, and TERT promoter mutations are correlated to metastatic disease in CM.     

用监控开关模式占空比的方法诊断LED

工程师们一般通过监控HB LED（高亮度发光二极管）的正向电压VF来判断LED的好坏。正向电压的大幅变化可能表明一只或一串LED有品质退化,或完全损坏。对于多只串联的LED,其正向电压之和可以达到40V以上,如果电压不是以地为基准,则需要差动测量。除了大电压和差动测量的挑战以外,     

Prototyping Dynamic Software Product Lines to evaluate run-time reconfigurations

Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPL) encompass systems that are capable of modifying their own behavior with respect to changes in their operating environment by using run-time reconfigurations. A failure in these reconfigurations can directly impact the user experience since the reconfigurations are performed when the system is already under the users control. In this work, we prototype a Smart Hotel DSPL to evaluate the reliability-based risk of the DSPL reconfigurations, specifically, the probability of malfunctioning (Availability) and the consequences of malfunctioning (Severity). This DSPL prototype was performed with the participation of human subjects by means of a Smart Hotel case study which was deployed with real devices. Moreover, we successfully identified and addressed two challenges associated with the involvement of human subjects in DSPL prototyping: enabling participants to (1) trigger the run-time reconfigurations and to (2) understand the effects of the reconfigurations. The evaluation of the case study reveals positive results regarding both Availability and Severity. However, the participant feedback highlights issues with recovering from a failed reconfiguration or a reconfiguration triggered by mistake. To address these issues, we discuss some guidelines learned in the case study. Finally, although the results achieved by the DSPL may be considered satisfactory for its particular domain, DSPL engineers must provide users with more control over the reconfigurations or the users will not be comfortable with DSPLs.     

Rural tourism: A sustainable alternative

The aim of this article is to show and share the results of the research we made in order to improve the situation of sustainable interior rural tourism in Spain. We chose our region: Aragon and we studied the case. We had to consider the financial crisis in the hope that our results would contribute to minimize it. We knew beforehand that rural tourism had been less affected than other sectors but still it was important to reach our goal.